Phthalates are everywhere. Phthalates are plasticizers. In case you couldn’t guess, that means they’re used in plastics to make them pliable – everything from pvc tubing, to straws to baby toys and pacifiers. They also find their way into some skin care products, since they alter the “feel” of products. Three quarters of off-the-shelf cosmetic products have phthalates. Virtually everyone of us, at this point, has some level of phthalates in our system (the CDC tested the urine of 2,790 people, and found phthalates in all but 12 of them).
So how bad are they? Most of the rest of the industrialized world has banned them: some variation of phthalates has been banned in baby products in the EU, Japan, Norway, Argentina and Mexico, and Canada, among other places. Oh, and California has taken it upon itself to impose a ban on phthalates in baby products starting in 2009, with several other states thinking about following suit. The FDA, on the other hand, neither bans nor restricts them, and hasn’t shown any inclination to do a thing going forward.
What exactly do they do? Phthalates are endocrine disrupters, which means they can alter the normal flow of hormones in the body. They are anti-androgenic chemicals, generally meaning they impact estrogen levels in the body. Numerous studies have shown that they may cause permanent reproductive damage of various kinds, particularly for boys. Phthalates also bio-accumulate, so small dosages can add up over time. Several studies, summarized by the Environmental Working Group, show the increased risk from additive exposure – the so called “synergistic” effect of combining two forms of phthalates: DBP and DEHP. Further, the manufacturing process associated with phthalates is not without harms: furons and dioxins are released, which carry health and environmental risks for everyone.
Needless to say, Sana does not use phthalates.
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